Shirley Wheat

Shirley Ann (Bridges) Wheat, 86, went to be with her Lord and savior on Monday morning June 3, 2024. Shirley was born in her ancestral home on September 16, 1937, in Crystal Springs, Mississippi, to Louis Elton Bridges Sr. and Bessie (Sykes) Bridges. She was the 3rd of 4 children, and grew up on the family farm where she played with her sister Betty, and developed a love of animals. Shirley went on to attend Millsaps College and achieved her Bachelor of Arts in Education. She taught highschool English in Louisiana, before relocating to Dallas, TX where she met the love of her life Claude "C.A." They were married on June 23rd, 1968, and lived happily until his passing in 2007. She spent 20+ years as an executive secretary for the ARA Services Corporation. Her life was dedicated to quiet strength and perseverance. The following quote sums much of her life, "What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson. Shirley was soft spoken, and a woman of few words, but her faithfulness, and mettle were evident to all who knew her.

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Louis and Stanley Bridges, and her younger sister Betty Lou Sykes. She was also preceded in death by her husband Claude "C.A." Wheat. She is survived by her nephews and nieces, John Bridges, Anthony Sykes, Julie Sykes, Pam Vaughn, and Gerry Gadbury.